I managed to convince the OH to join me in attending Yoga on Thursday nights. I felt so awesome after the last led class that I really wanted to go again. I can’t remember why I couldn’t make it last week, but there was some reason. Anyway, the class was very full and we all crammed into the room. It was already quite warm after the earlier class. After the OH and I set up our mats and got ready, the class started.
I was much freer than last time. The first sun salutations were a bit creaky, but my calves and lower back freed up after about 3 salutations. My left shoulder is still very sore in downward dog. I can’t figure out if this is because my lat is really tight and I am pulling it out of alignment or something else. I found if I widened my arms, the pain lessened so I decided to do that while also keeping my shoulders down and back.
My balance in the standing poses was much better. However, I found Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana really hurt my middle fingers. I think the pressure from my big toe was directly on the sore bits in both my left and right middle fingers. I came out of it early.
I think my seated positions have also improved – especially Purvottanasana where last week the small of my back really hurt.
By the end of the practice, my muscles were ‘singing’. They felt stretched, worked and full of blood. While in corpse pose, I could feel my body humming and it felt great. I did wonder how I was going to do on the motorbike the next day, as I really had pushed myself quite a lot!
I’m looking forward to next Thursday already.
Here’s some images of the different positions that I’ve mentioned in this post:
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Purvottanasana
This posture is fantastic for climbers as it really opens up the shoulders and chest. I think these two images are of either Sri K. Pattabhi Jois who really brought Ashtanga Yoga to the forefront in the 20th century, or one of his disciples.
Work Hard, Think Hard and Train Harder 